Frank Lampard
English |position = Midfielder |team = Retired }} 'Frank James Lampard ' OBE (born 20 June 1978) is an English football manager and former professional footballer. He is the manager of Premier League club Chelsea. He is a versatile goalscorer of the same team, where he played for 13 years, and is considered by a number of journalists and football experts to be one of the greatest midfielders of his generation, in addition to being regarded as Chelsea's greatest ever player by some Chelsea players, such as previous record goal-scorer Bobby Tambling and long-term teammate John Terry. Lampard began his career at West Ham United, for whom his father Frank Lampard, Sr. had also played. He secured a place in the first team by the 1997–98 season, and the following year helped the team finish 5th in the Premier League, their highest-ever Premier League placing. In 2001, he moved to rival London club Chelsea for £11 million. In 2014, he was released by Chelsea after 13 years of service. Lampard then joined New York City FC on a two-year deal, in preparation for the club's Major League Soccer debut in 2015, as a free transfer, but would play for Manchester City in the meantime. On 31 December 2014, however, BBC Sport's David Ornstein revealed Lampard is under contract to Manchester City and not New York City as previously claimed by both clubs. From his début, he was ever-present in the Chelsea first team and made 164 consecutive Premier League appearances, a record for an outfield player. He established himself as a prolific scorer at the west London club and was a key part of the sides which won back-to-back Premier League titles in 2004–05 and 2005–06 and a domestic cup double in 2007. He signed a new contract in 2008, becoming the highest-paid Premier League footballer at that time, and scored in his first Champions League Final that year. He won a second FA Cup winners' medal in 2009, scoring the winning goal in the final. In the 2009–10 season, Lampard helped Chelsea secure their first league and FA Cup Double, and also had his most prolific season with the club, scoring 22 league goals and 17 league assists. In 2012, Lampard captained Chelsea to their first UEFA Champions League success and a year later to their first UEFA Europa League title. He was released by the club after the 2013–14 season. A three-time Chelsea Player of the Year, Lampard is the club's all-time top goalscorer with 211 goals in all competitions. Lampard is one of seven players, and the only midfielder, to have scored 150 or more goals in the Premier League. He is second in the Premier League's all-time assists table, behind Ryan Giggs. In 2005, Lampard was voted FWA Footballer of the Year and was runner-up in both the FIFA World Player of the Year and the Ballon d'Or. In 2010 he received the FWA Tribute Award. He has won 13 trophies in his career. Internationally, Lampard was capped 106 times by England since his debut in October 1999, and scored 29 international goals. He was voted England Player of the Year for two consecutive years in 2004 and 2005. He played in Euro 2004, where he was named in the team of the tournament after scoring three goals in four games. He was top scorer for England in their 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign with five goals, and played at three World Cups. He is England's most prolific penalty taker with nine goals, surpassing the previous record holders, Ron Flowers and Alan Shearer. Since April 2015, Lampard serves as a team captain on ITV sport panel show Play to the Whistle. Category:Article stubs Category:Retired Players Category:Players Category:English Players Category:Midfielders Category:Chelsea Players Category:Manchester City F.C. players‏‎ Category:NYCFC players Category:Derby County F.C. managers Category:Chelsea F.C. managers Category:FIFA 03 Players Category:FIFA 04 Players Category:FIFA 05 Players Category:FIFA 06 Players Category:FIFA 07 Players Category:FIFA 08 Players Category:FIFA 09 Players Category:FIFA 10 Players Category:FIFA 11 Players Category:FIFA 12 players Category:FIFA 13 players Category:FIFA 14 players Category:FIFA 15 Players Category:FIFA 16 Players Category:FIFA 17 Players